Outfits Not Just Clothes

shirt- Mango , pants-Banana Republic(more options here ), necklace-H&M(similar here ), flats- Dr. Scholl's Just a simple top and pants for this OOTD. Or, are they? The fabric and buttons of this shirt, along with the boxy cut give off a whiff of menocore , which I'm totally down for. (Check out my combo meno/normcore board here on Pinterest ). Meanwhile the side-stripped pants and leopard flats are standard, yet sleek officewear staples. So we have a bit of aesthetic contrast, but we also have textural contrast with the rougher top and slighty sateen bottoms. Not so simple after all, eh? 😉

dress- Porto via Dina Ellen , scarf- Thrifted , slides- Champion via Target This dress was an impulse purchase, but it checks almost all of my frock boxes. It fits and flatters, is easy to wear, machine washable, and is versatile, yet still interesting. The only thing it doesn't have is pockets, which is a shame because I love pockets. For a recent evening out I styled this dress somewhat haphazardly. Since, the dress has that "thrown-on-and-go" quality, I played into that with these slip-on athleisure-esque slides, and then loosely tided on a printed scarf as my "third piece".  I can also see this midi-number working with my trusty white blazer (last seen here ) and some heels for a summertime office look! 

shirtdress- Nordstrom (similar here ), scarf- American Apparel , T-shirt-Forever 21(similar here ), boots-Lifestride via DSW (similar here ), leggings- Amazon The 90's keep on rolling from yesterday's post , with my take on modern grunge . You can argue this is more Normcore , but having been a teenager during the 90's flannel, plaid, ripped jeans is right up my style alley. For a 21st century take I paired this midi-shirtdress with a distressed tunic, basic leggings, and flat boots, which are all "upgrades" to pieces I would have happily worn back in the day. There's a style "rule" out there that says if you lived through a trend during it's original era, you've probably aged out of it when it comes back around.... My response to that (in true grunge style)--F*ck that noise! If you make it your own, then a fashionable person can outfit within most trends regardless of age. 

blazer-Gap(similar here ), pants- Gap Maternity , tunic- ModCLoth , flats- J.Crew Factory , necklace-Gifted, watch-Michael Kors(similar here ), nails- Zoya Another great blazer-framed bump moment, like this one  here . Overall, this is fairly normcore , "getting the job done" type of outfit. I'm in the full-frontal pants discussed early this week here , and while this tunic isn't officially "maternity" it's becoming a great go-to piece. 

Mary Kate and Ashley Olsen have gone from child sitcom starts to international style icons, and while I never got into their tween fashion empire back in the 90's I have more recently been appreciating their street style. Case in point this outfit inspiration photo: image via Who What Wear  Here's my take from this past Monday: blazer/ pants -Gap(similar blazer  here ), shirt-Old Navy(similar here ), bag- Zara , necklace- chloe + isabel c/c of Angela B , watch-Michael Kors(similar here ), shoes-Sole Society(similarish here ), sunnies- ViVI This may seem like a pretty simple/straight-forward outfit, but the details, for me, make this a statement look. First, I'm breaking that old rule of not mixing navy and black. True, certain navy and black combos don't always work, it all depends on the shade of each, and the level of contrast. Here it's working, as are the silver accessories. The necklace in p...